Put On Your War Paint
by WinterSky101
Summary: The Flock and the Avengers team up. Super villains and mad scientists everywhere, beware. A Christmas gift for Flygrrl! First in "To Dust or To Gold."


**Merry Christmas to my dear Flygrrl! This one's for you.**

**This fic takes place after the Avengers movie but doesn't take into account the MCU films after that point. In terms of Maximum Ride canon, it takes place after _Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports_. There may well be more fics in this verse - I've got a couple of ideas - but they won't be posted for a while, as I've got other stuff that needs to be written first. Title is from "The Phoenix" by Fall Out Boy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or Avengers.**

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><p>The plan was for it to be a test mission of sorts. SHIELD hadn't exactly been subtle about how much they wanted the Flock to work with them, and while Max still wasn't sure it was the best choice, the protests of the others had overruled her.<p>

If only Gazzy weren't so into superheroes.

"But _Iron Man_!" he'd protested. Which, of course, had led to a slew of pleading from the others. Iggy's favorite was Hawkeye (and really, trust his favorite to be the one with exploding arrows). Angel liked Thor. Nudge went on for _half an hour straight_ about how much she admired Black Widow. Even Fang admitted he'd like to meet the Hulk. Max was overruled, and was not especially happy about it.

But hey, a test mission might be fun.

_"We'll reach the area in five minutes,"_ Director Fury stated over their new, high-tech comms. _"The Avengers should already be there. Remember, do _not_ attempt to engage Doom alone."_

"If he's blind in one eye, does that make him like half-Iggy?" Gazzy asked in a quiet voice when Fury signed off. Iggy glared in his direction.

"Hilarious," he replied dryly.

"Why are they flying us there when we all have wings?" Max asked, looking around the small Quinjet. It was far too small for her liking, although it was more than large enough to comfortably hold the six of them. "I bet Iron Man doesn't to ride in one of these things."

"Do you think we'll get to learn everyone's secret identities?" Nudge asked, looking excited. "I mean, everyone already knows that Iron Man is Tony Stark, which is _so cool_, but what about Captain America? Is he really the same guy from World War II? Cause that would make him like ninety years old and that's super old, especially for a superhero. And Thor says he's a god from some other world, but what if he's not? I mean, is Asgard even a real thing? And then Hawkeye and Black Widow have always been super secretive, and to see them as normal people would be _so_ cool. And the Hulk is so weird too, cause people used to think he was bad, and he destroyed like an entire city, but now he's fighting with the Avengers and helping people so is he bad or is he good? I think he's probably good. I mean, he saved Iron Man in the Battle of New York and everything, so-"

"My ears are bleeding!" Iggy interrupted in a loud voice, clamping his hands over his ears. Nudge stopped talking abruptly. Max had no idea how Iggy was able to get her to shut up so effectively, when the others normally had to physically keep her mouth shut.

"We're almost there," the pilot stated. Max jerked upright.

"Good. Let us out."

"Um…" The pilots looked at each other. "We're supposed to take you-"

"Yeah, except we can _fly_," Angel put in. "No, really," she added, spreading her wings. "They are pretty, aren't they? I think they look more like a swan than a dove."

"Our little Angel, mind-reader extraordinaire," Max quipped. "Now, would you let us out of this thing?" The ramp slowly began to descend. Max huffed. "About time," she muttered, turning to the Flock. "Now remember, be careful. We don't know exactly what we're up against."

"We'll be careful," Gazzy promised as Iggy stuffed something in his jacket. Max _so_ didn't want to know. "Promise!"

"We'll be okay," Angel added. Fang silently slid his hand into Max's and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Of course we will," Max told Angel. "Now come on!" Max ran out of the Quinjet, followed by the rest of the Flock, and spread her wings, soaring over towards where they could hear the sounds of fighting.

_"The kids are coming,"_ stated a vaguely familiar voice over the comms. Gazzy's eyes went wide.

"That's Iron Man!" he hissed at Max, looking thrilled. Max narrowed her eyes slightly and saw the red and gold figure hovering in midair, shooting things with blasts from his hands.

_"Wow, and they're really kids,"_ Iron Man added, some surprise in his voice. _"How old is that little one, six?"_

"I'm almost seven," Angel protested.

"And we've all being fighting for our lives for, oh yeah, our whole lives," Max added sarcastically.

_"Bruce is gonna flip at the injustice of it all,"_ Iron Man stated wryly. _"Cap, what do you say?"_

_"We have our orders," _another voice replied, apparently that of Captain America. _"I don't like it either, but it's not our call."_

"Those look kinda like Flyboys," Angel remarked, frowning at the robots the Avengers were fighting. "I can't get in their heads."

"Keep your power working anyway," Max told Angel in a low voice. "I want us to be able to talk without the others hearing it, and I don't know how to use these comms yet."

"Okay," Angel replied, nodding and looking far older than her six years. The time for casual conversation was brought to an abrupt stop as the Flock flew straight into the thick of the fighting.

"These guys _are_ kinda like Flyboys!" Max called as she brought one of the robots down. "But their weak spot is the back of the neck, not the bottom of the spine."

"Everyone get down!" Iggy yelled. Max and the rest of the flock obediently dropped like rocks. Iron Man dove for the ground as a huge explosion ripped through the air, taking out about a dozen of the robots.

"Go Iggy!" Gazzy yelled.

_"Which one of the kids did that?" _asked a voice over the comms. _"Cause I like them."_

_"You can talk with the kid about explosives later, Hawkeye,"_ a dry female voice replied. Nudge's eyes went wide and she pointed at the comm, mouthing "Black Widow!" and looking as if she might explode with excitement. _"Whichever one of you that was, not bad."_

Iggy looked very pleased with himself. Max had the suspicion the Avengers would be less enthused with his skills at blowing things up when their belongings were stolen to get turned into bombs, but she let him have the moment.

"When Iggy says get down, you get down," Max called over to Iron Man.

_"Noted," _he replied, and although Max couldn't see his face through the mask, his voice sounded as if he were smirking.

The fight went fairly well, all things considered. No one got badly hurt, and with the Avengers and the Flock working together, they got all of the robots dealt with in less than an hour. They didn't get to Doom, but no one had really expected them too, and after all, he was the Fantastic Four's nemesis, not the Avengers', and definitely not the Flock's. The fighting on the ground lasted a bit longer than the fighting in the air, but while Iron Man swept down to help the rest of the Avengers, Max gestured for the Flock to fly over to her so they could chat quickly.

"What do you think?" Max asked. She had to admit, she sort of trusted the Avengers. She didn't fully trust S.H.I.E.L.D., but she freely admitted that was partially just her tendency to distrust big agencies that worked either under the government's radar (Itex) or with the tacit approval of the government, as long as they did what they were supposed to and didn't screw up (S.H.I.E.L.D.). But the Avengers seemed to be more moral than S.H.I.E.L.D. was, despite the fact that the team worked for them. Max had the feeling that the team was loyal to each other before they were loyal to Fury and the others, which was a plus in her book. And they had helped the Flock - Thor had shot one of the robots with lightning when it was about to overwhelm Angel, and Gazzy and Iron Man had tag-teamed a group, to Gazzy's delight. Hawkeye had shot threatening robots out of the air before Max had even noticed how close they were to a member of the Flock.

"I like them," Iggy stated with a shrug. "And we'd be doing good here. You're supposed to save the world and everything. The Avengers do that every other week."

"I like them!" Nudge put in. "They're all super cool, and they seem to like us, and they're really nice. Did you notice that Iron Man always helped us out when we needed it? And Hawkeye did too, and so did Thor. And Black Widow and Captain America and Hulk were on the ground and they all worked well together and even though the Hulk could have batted us out of the sky when we flew low enough he didn't so I don't think he's a danger either and-"

"They seem better than Fury," Fang put in quietly. Max nodded her assent.

"I fought robots with Iron Man!" Gazzy squealed. Max grinned and mussed his hair.

"And you were awesome at it," she replied. "Angel, what do you think?"

Angel frowned slightly. "I think we can trust them," she stated. "I don't know if we can trust S.H.I.E.L.D., but I think we can trust the Avengers. Their thoughts aren't threatening or anything."

"So we're all down for doing a longer trial run?" Max asked. The Flock all nodded. "Let's go down and meet the team." Max allowed her lips to curl into a smile. "Guys, we're working with superheroes!"

"_We're_ superheroes!" Gazzy corrected gleefully, folding in his wings and diving for the ground. The others followed him, landing gently next to the other Avengers, who were just finishing up with the last few robots.

The Hulk, as they watched, melted down from the huge green figure into a small, shivering man who, unless Max was mistaken, was naked. Black Widow quickly brought over a blanket, wrapping it around his shoulders.

"You okay, big guy?" Iron Man asked, flipping up his faceplate on his armor.

"I'm fine," the man replied, standing on shaky legs. He caught sight of the Flock and, to his credit, his gaze only stuttered on their wings for a second before he started looking at their faces. "These are the new additions Fury mentioned?"

"The Flock," Hawkeye put in from where he was putting his bow away. "Oh, and which one of you made that bomb?"

"I did," Iggy admitted. Hawkeye silently held a hand out for a high five, but Iggy just looked around with a frown.

"Iggy's blind," Max told him. Hawkeye looked stunned, then apologetic.

"Oh, wow, sorry. I didn't know. But wait, you made that bomb without being able to _see_?"

"Gazzy helps with that part," Iggy replied, throwing an arm out and unerringly catching Gazzy around the shoulders.

"But Iggy does most of it!" Gazzy put in, grinning widely.

"Damn," Hawkeye said appreciatively. Captain America, who had taken off his cowl to reveal short blond hair, frowned slightly.

"Should we maybe clean up the language around the kids?" he asked tentatively. Angel giggled.

"It's okay! We know lots of swears anyway." Somehow, that didn't make Captain America look reassured.

"Should we do introductions?" Iron Man asked, looking at the other Avengers. "Considering the littlest one is a telepath and all that."

"My name is Angel, actually," Angel told Iron Man in her dirtiest voice. Max couldn't stop the grin that spread across her face.

"Yeah, okay," Iron Man replied, fairly dismissively.

"We can do introductions when we get to a secure location," Black Widow stated in a terse voice. Iron Man sighed.

"Whatever." He turned to the Flock. "Follow me back to Stark Tower if you want to fly and not take a car like these losers."

"Do you think he'll be even more insufferable than usual, in an attempt to impress the kids?" the man who had been the Hulk asked conversationally. Iron Man shot him a dirty look before putting the faceplate down and taking off. The Flock was quick to follow him.

_Angel?_ Max called out mentally. The response was immediate.

_Want me to check everyone out before we do introductions?_ Angel asked. Max grinned.

_Wow, it's like you read my mind,_ she joked. She could feel Angel's disapproval.

_That's really not funny,_ she scolded in the way only a six year old girl could. Max's grin widened.

_That's why I keep saying it,_ she replied, because there was so little to smile about in their lives that, if Max could tease Angel about something and get a smile out of her, she would do it.

_That's nice,_ Angel replied, reminding Max that she could hear every one of these thoughts about her. _But as long as we're together, I think that's something to smile about._

_When did you get so smart?_ Max asked rhetorically. She heard Angel giggle before disappearing from her mind.

Iron Man landed on a balcony outside Stark Tower and began to stride inside, machines popping out to remove his armor. The Flock landed on the balcony behind him.

"Welcome to Stark Tower," Tony Stark proclaimed, spreading his arms. "I don't know if you guys have a place to stay, but I've got approximately a billion spare rooms, if you want." Max shot Angel a look.

_He's sincere, and he seems to be on our side. He likes us,_ she told Max. She nodded discreetly.

"We've been staying with S.H.I.E.L.D., but this looks nicer than their guest rooms," she told Tony, who smirked.

"Wait, we get to stay here?" Gazzy asked, his eyes huge with excitement. "Oh my God that's _so cool_!"

"If you want, I can even show you a couple robots," Tony offered, grinning as Gazzy's face lit up.

"How do the robots work?" Iggy asked, his fingers trailing along the back of a couch as he walked around it and sat down. "I've tried a couple times, but they never work out." Well, that was news to Max. Iggy had never told her he tried to make robots before.

"I can tell you tomorrow," Tony offered. "Anyone who can make bombs as kickass as yours is welcome in my lab. And you can come too, kid." Gazzy looked thrilled.

"And here I am, thinking I'm special," a voice quipped as the rest of the Avengers filed into the room. "I'm Bruce Banner, by the way," the man added, now wearing ill-fitting clothes. He didn't look very threatening, but Max wasn't fooled; she had seen the Hulk batting robots away and crushing them without a second thought.

"I'm Steve Rogers," Captain America replied, pulling off the top of his costume to reveal a tight t-shirt on underneath.

"I am Thor, of Asgard," Thor replied. Max figured he really didn't do the whole secret-identity thing. "Although I have occasionally been referred to as Donald Blake, when I needed to keep my identity a secret."

"But there is a real Donald Blake, so we don't use that name much," Bruce put in.

"I'm Clint Barton," Hawkeye put in, putting his bow on the table and slouching carelessly on one of the couches.

"Natasha Romanoff," Black Widow finished, looking slightly tense as she sat next to Clint.

"I'm Max," Max stated, prompting the rest of the Flock to add their names.

"Fang."

"Iggy."

"Nudge."

"Gazzy."

"Angel."

"And you have powers, other than the wings, right?" Bruce asked curiously, sitting down at a table. Tony sat next to him, propping his feet up on the table.

"Yeah," Max replied, tensing up automatically at the thought of revealing herself to the others.

_It's okay,_ Angel told her. _They're not bad. They want to work with us and help us. You don't have to worry. We can tell them the truth. I trust them._

"We all have enhanced senses and a built-in sense of direction," Max said, hoping her reluctance to answer wasn't too clear. "Raptor vision too, except Iggy. We heal pretty quick. And then we have our own powers. I can fly super fast." She decided to leave out the bit about the Voice in her head; no need to sound insane.

"How fast?" Tony asked, sounding slightly skeptical. Max narrowed her eyes.

"Fastest I've ever gone? Three hundred miles an hour." Tony looked appropriately impressed.

"And the rest of you?" Steve asked, looking curious.

"I can turn invisible," Fang put in quietly. As was typical Fang behavior, he didn't elaborate on the specifics, but just kept it at that.

"My senses are all really enhanced, except vision," Iggy added. "And I make bombs. And I cook."

"Really?" Bruce asked, looking excited. "No one else here can cook at all, but they all love to eat."

"I know the feeling," Iggy replied wryly.

"I can feel people's emotions by touching things they touched," Nudge added. "Like, once I touched a computer keyboard and I was able to figure out the password because I could feel the person's imprint that they left on it. So I can hack things. I've done it a lot. And I have a really quick metabolism, like, quicker than any of the others, except maybe Gazzy. And I don't really like walking, but I can fly just as well as any of the others, and-"

"And she can talk forever without stopping for breath," Iggy interrupted. Nudge flushed and clamped her mouth shut.

"I can fart," Gazzy put in cheerfully. Steve choked on the cup of coffee he had just poured himself. "Max doesn't think it's a power, but I do. I guess my digestive system got messed up or something, cause it's really weird. And I make bombs with Iggy. Oh, and I can mimic people too."

"How well?" Natasha asked, frowning.

"Pretty well," Gazzy replied in a flawless mimicry of her voice. Natasha's jaw tightened, but she seemed to relax a little when Clint nudged her with his leg.

"I can read minds," Angel said in her sweetest voice. "And influence people too. And I can breathe underwater. Max freaked out the first time I did it, but I think it's cool."

"Okay, we've come clean," Max stated, crossing her arms. _Well, mostly,_ she added mentally; if they kept a few secrets, it was only because they had just met the Avengers. They weren't going to trust them immediately. "What about you guys?"

"I've got the suit," Tony put in carelessly. "I can fly, faster than you guys. And I can use the repulsers to shoot people. The suit is strong, and it's got my A.I. in it too, so I've basically got the world at my fingertips, which is such a stupid saying. It's all powered by this." He tapped the glowing circle in his chest. "Arc reactor. Run by an element I synthesized. Cause I'm awesome."

"I was injected with a super soldier serum back in the forties," Steve said, his voice slightly tense. "Enhanced strength and senses. I can't get drunk either, thanks to my metabolism. And I was frozen in ice for seventy years and I survived, so there's that."

"The Hulk is a basically unstoppable force," Bruce said, his voice quiet. "He's gotten better recently, but you should stay out of his way so he doesn't hurt you. He's invulnerable to most anything."

"And Bruce is a genius," Tony added, making Bruce blush.

"I am stronger than you mortals, being of Asgard," Thor boomed. "I can wield the mighty hammer Mjolnir, which allows me to channel my power over lightning. I can use it to fly. And I am not so vulnerable as a mortal."

"I shoot arrows," Clint put in, shrugging. "Some of them blow up. I've developed the arrows and the bow, with some help from the people at S.H.I.E.L.D., and I've got good aim. And I was a spy before joining the Avengers, so there's that."

"I'm heavily trained in martial arts," Natasha said in clipped tones. Max got the feeling that she was slow to trust new people, but she couldn't judge, considering she was too. "I used to be an assassin. Now I'm a spy."

"Is that everything?" Tony asked, scanning the group. "Seems like it! Pizza, anyone?" A chorus of yeses followed the question. "JARVIS! Pizza for the group. Get a lot."

_"Yes, sir,"_ a disembodied voice replied. Max didn't jump, but only because she wasn't entirely unused to voices coming out of no where.

"It's JARVIS, my A.I.," Tony explained carelessly. "Anyone want a scotch?"

"Tony!" Steve hissed. Tony chuckled as he poured himself a drink.

Max didn't sit down - she wasn't quite that comfortable yet - but she relaxed as the rest of the Flock sat at the couch, except Fang, who remained standing next to her. As conversation began to flow, Max scanned the other Avengers.

Angel trusted them. They seemed to be sincere. They had all fought together to stop Doom's robots.

Max thought they could work together.


End file.
